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Cuts in fire protection leading to deaths in Detroit. By Lawrence Porter 12 February 2013 Detroit firefighters battle a house fire A series of brutal budget cuts to the Detroit Fire Department and other social services by Mayor David Bing, the Detroit City Council and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is producing the foreseeable outcome: the death of Detroit residents.

One tragedy follows another.
Detroit traffic cops learning stop and frisk tactics. Detroit, a city plagued by an increase of murders and shootings, is considering implementing the controversial police practice known as stop and frisk.

The practice allows police officers to stop and search individuals that fit descriptions of suspects or people engaged in suspicious activity. Opponents say minorities are often unfairly targeted. Last week, a New York judge ruled stop and frisk unconstitutional. New York promised to appeal the ruling and credit the city's drop in crime to the program, MyFoxDetroit.com reported. Erik Ewing, an assistant police chief in Detroit, told MyFoxDetroit.com that the policy is not racial profiling, "just officers doing good constitutional police work.
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Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick pleads guilty and will resign. AP PhotoDetroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick listens to his attorney Juan Mateo on Thursday in Wayne County District Court in Detroit.

He pleaded to a pair of felony obstruction charges in a sex-and-misconduct scandal and will step down after months of defiantly holding onto his job leading the nation's 11th-largest city. The mayor made the plea during a court hearing Thursday morning in a perjury and misconduct case. He later offered a no contest plea in an assault case. DETROIT -- Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to a pair of felony obstruction charges on Thursday in a sex-and-misconduct scandal and will step down after months of defiantly holding onto his job leading the nation's 11th-largest city.

Kwame Kilpatrick / Detroit. Equally at home in senior centers and hip-hop concerts, Kwame Kilpatrick, 34, inspired Detroit voters with his energy and determination when he rode into office three years ago.

But a cherry red Lincoln Navigator has put a big dent in his reputation. After weeks of denying it, the mayor admitted in January that the city paid $24,995 to lease just such a car for his wife. That outlay showed what Alan Ehrenhalt, executive editor of Governing Magazine, calls "a tin ear for symbolism," given that Detroit's $230 million budget deficit has prompted the mayor to eliminate 3,000 city positions and end 24-hour...
National Briefing - Midwest - Michigan - Detroit Mayor's Expenses - NYTimes.com. Dozens Protest ‘Slave Wages’ For Fast-Food Workers In Metro Detroit.

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) – Dozens of demonstrators lined up outside an east side Detroit McDonald’s restaurant in an effort to protest what one man called “slave wages” for fast-food workers.

The protest was just one of many taking place nationwide to raise pay in low-wage sectors to $15 an hour. Workers on Thursday are expected to walk off their jobs in Michigan and across the nation, including McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway, Wendy’s, Checkers and KFC. Clergy, elected officials and community supporters are also expected to join workers on the strike lines. Employees at the McDonald’s restaurant on Connor Street and Mack Avenue said their plan was to “shut the restaurant down” with their walk-off. It didn’t quite work, as cars continued to pass through the drive-up windows while workers outside chanted “Raise the minimum wage” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, $7.40 has got to go.”
Detroit Taxes Are High, But City Spending Is Higher, Study Finds. April 1 (Reuters) - Detroit residents pay the highest local taxes on a per capita basis compared to other Michigan municipalities, while the city collects the biggest chunk of state shared revenue, according to an analysis released on Monday.

The report by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a public policy group, comes just days after a state-appointed emergency manager stepped in to try and resolve Detroit’s fiscal problems. The council found that Detroit’s tax rates — including property, income and other local taxes — are high versus other Michigan cities. Its residents also bear a bigger tax burden as a percentage of income than those in other large U.S. cities even as the city struggles to stay fiscally afloat. “They get a lot of money on a per capita basis.
How Much Has the Detroit Police Force Really Been Cut? [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
Soon after the city of Detroit filed for bankruptcy, many blogs and news sites began running "facts" about the city.

One common "fact" repeated often was that "the size of the police force in Detroit has been cut by about 40 percent over the past decade.
" Although it makes for interesting reading, just how much the police department has been cut is not that simple to determine and is another example of the city's dysfunction. For example, the city's 2003 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report states there were 4,810 uniform police officers that year.

These 8 graphs show Detroit's progress since declaring bankruptcy. Detroit Fire, Police Departments Suffer Deep Cuts. DETROIT (WWJ) – A city plagued by arson fires now has fewer engines on the streets and police officers on patrol.

City budget cuts hit the Detroit police and fire departments this week, eliminating 10 engines and four ladders from the Detroit Fire Department’s budget. Five of the cut engines being removed from service are considered “browned out” in spotty service for the past seven years, according to reports. One of the four ladders cut is also considered “browned out.” The department will also be demoting two battalion chiefs to captain, 15 captains to lieutenant, 41 lieutenants to sergeant and 90 sergeants to firefighters, among other demotions, as part of the cuts. The demotions are expected to push out younger firefighters.
Detroit firefighters speak out on bankruptcy. By Tim Rivers and Jerry White 29 July 2013.

A 911 response in Detroit takes how long?- MSN Money. For some people in Detroit, calling 911 isn't an option anymore.

That's because it takes too long for any help to arrive. People have developed their own emergency response plans that often involve calling relatives or friends, The New York Times reports. How bad is it? For the highest-priority crimes, Detroit police take about 58 minutes, on average, to answer 911 calls. And what happens after police arrive is just as disappointing: The department has an 8.7% rate of solving cases.

The police response time is just one of the crucial municipal issues at stake as the city lurches toward bankruptcy. The crime rate in Detroit, predictably, has skyrocketed.
The Face of Pension Reform: Detroit Firefighters Lament Potential Cuts. In February 2007, Walt Grysko was barreling through the streets of Detroit en route to a fire when his firetruck was t-boned by a car exceeding 70 miles per hour. The crash sent Grysko through the windshield and hurled him 60 feet away, breaking his back in five places. The firetruck’s driver, 47-year-old Joe Torkos, died. Grysko, now 57, retired in 2008 on doctor’s orders after serving the Motor City for 25 years.

This summer, Detroit fire and police department retirees received notice that their benefits would be cut at the end of the year and that they would be given a small monthly stipend, ranging from $125 to $200, to find their own health care.
Detroit files for bankruptcy after decades of decay. DETROIT, USA (AP) -- The city of Detroit, which for years paid its bills with borrowed money, is the largest city in US history to file for bankruptcy protection.

Here's a look at how the city spiralled into financial ruin and why it's in so much trouble: What Happened? For decades, Detroit paid its bills by borrowing money while struggling to provide the most basic of services for its residents. The city, which was about to default on a good chunk of its US$14 billion-plus debt, will now get a second chance in a federal bankruptcy court-led restructuring.
Detroit files for bankruptcy - Jul. 18, 2013. The bankruptcy was filed by Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr and approved by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. Snyder said the financial condition of the city left him no choice. "Now's our opportunity to stop 60 years of decline," Snyder said at a Friday news conference with Orr.
Orr: Detroit's public services already improving - Crain's Detroit Business.

Private citizens pick up the slack as Detroit cuts public services. With the city of Detroit now $2.5 billion in debt and the cancellation of city services, teams of private citizens are helping to provide basic services. To avoid bankruptcy, the city is being run by an independent emergency manager. Payments on unsecured debt were already canceled last month in an effort to save money and spend what they have on services such as the police force and fire departments. But with the lack of funds come the dismissal of several city services, which has spurred a measure of civic pride, Fox News reports. After the city abandoned a long awaited light-rail project, 26-year-old Andy Didirosi was “pissed” and chose to fund a transportation plan himself.